Areas of Expertise

Mr. Schultz’s areas of expertise rest on direct responsibility for the operation, design, construction, and regulatory compliance of public water and wastewater systems from 1986 through 2018, and on engineering review and technical assistance performed since 2006 for EPA Region 8, the Indian Health Service, and the systems they serve.

Utility Management and Standard of Care

Chief engineer, general manager, assistant public works director, and public works director of public water and wastewater utilities in Montana and Alabama, at systems ranging from an island community to a utility of approximately 85,000 service connections.

Plan and Specification Review and Design Standard of Care

Review of consulting engineers’ plans, specifications, and construction drawings for public water system construction against the Recommended Standards for Water Works and Recommended Standards for Wastewater Facilities, identifying each departure by drawing station or specification section with the remedy required to conform. Reviews performed for EPA Region 8 from 2006 through 2022.

Construction Contract Compliance and Close-Out Review

Review of constructed facilities against the governing contract documents, including contracted operator training, record drawings, operation and maintenance manuals, spare parts, instrumentation placement, and conformance with state design standards.

Failure Analysis and Root Cause Investigation

Investigation of failures in water treatment and distribution facilities and attribution of cause to design, specification, construction, equipment, or operating practice. Scope covers treatment process, unit performance, equipment, instrumentation and control, and operating practice; it does not extend to structural, geotechnical, or mechanical failure.

Treatment Plant Construction and Performance Testing

Oversight of the construction of a 7 MGD membrane filtration plant (placed in service 2017) and of 16 MGD and 2.5 MGD filtration plants at Butte, Montana. Performance and acceptance testing of new treatment facilities against the plans and specifications, the manufacturer’s operating instructions, and the Safe Drinking Water Act.

Treatment Plant Capacity Evaluation

Determination of the flow a plant can properly treat, computed unit by unit and chemical feed by chemical feed rather than taken from the design nameplate, identifying the limiting component and the corrective measures required.

Treatment Process Pilot Studies

Design, construction, and operation of pilot studies to evaluate alternative treatment processes, including a slow sand filtration pilot (2012 to 2013) and a flocculation, contact adsorption clarification, and rapid sand filtration pilot (2013) addressing total organic carbon removal and disinfection byproduct formation.

Filtration Performance Evaluation and Optimization

Filter evaluations and self-assessments at municipal and tribal surface water plants applying the EPA Comprehensive Performance Evaluation methodology: turbidity profiling, bed expansion, media excavation, backwash evaluation, and comparison against state design standards and the Long Term Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rules.

Water Distribution Systems

Management of distribution systems of nine pump stations, four storage tanks, and seven pressure zones serving 35,000 customers at Butte, Montana, and of the distribution and collection systems of a utility of approximately 85,000 service connections at Mobile, Alabama. Montana Class 1A Distribution Operator.

Safe Drinking Water Act Compliance and Regulatory Negotiation

Representation of a water utility in negotiating consent decrees and compliance schedules with state and federal regulators; technical assistance to systems under EPA administrative orders; disinfection byproducts, enhanced coagulation, disinfection profiling, the Lead and Copper Rule, the Revised Total Coliform Rule, and cross-connection control.

Corrosion Control Treatment Evaluation

Evaluation of corrosion control treatment following a lead action level exceedance and recommendation of the treatment pathway under the EPA Optimal Corrosion Control Treatment Evaluation Technical Recommendations.

Microscopic Particulate Analysis and Source Water Classification

Microscopic particulate analysis under the EPA Consensus Method to determine whether a groundwater source is under the direct influence of surface water.

NPDES Permit Compliance and Wastewater Treatment Inspection

Inspector of record for more than thirty NPDES compliance inspections of municipal and tribal treatment works for EPA Region 8, predominantly lagoon and stabilization pond systems, and inspection of a federal recreation site facility under an Oregon DEQ water pollution control permit.

Operator Certification, Staffing Adequacy, and Training

Concurrent licensure as a professional engineer and as a certified water operator at the highest levels granted by the State of Montana. Author and instructor of water and wastewater operator training since 2006, including instruction under contract with the Albuquerque Area Indian Health Service.